 Greetings from the Commonwealth of Learning as we celebrate World Teacher's Day. This year the theme, the right to education means the right to a qualified teacher was chosen to mark the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights where education is recognized as a fundamental right where no one must be left behind. Higher teachers are critical to helping us achieve this aspiration, but even today they are an estimated 262 million children and youth still out of school globally and according to the UNESCO Institute of Statistics the world needs almost 69 million new teachers if we are to realize Sustainable Development Goal 4, SDG 4, which means achieving inclusive and quality education and lifelong learning for all by 2030. It will not be possible to train these numbers through conventional means alone. Innovative and alternative approaches are required and by harnessing the potential of technologies the Commonwealth of Learning has worked with governments and institutions around the world to increase the number of qualified teachers by providing effective training at lower costs. So how can we close the teacher gap and increase the number of trained and qualified teachers? Let me highlight three of Kohl's interventions in addressing these challenges. First, retraining and re-skilling teachers in the age of technology is absolutely important. Kohl developed the Commonwealth Certificate for Teacher ICT Integration to help teachers to integrate ICT into teaching policies and practices. Mr. Edward Iow, a teacher at Dara Christian High School in Uganda, benefited from this program. After completing the course, Mr. Iow used game-based and project-based learning in teaching biology and chemistry, which resulted in better learning outcomes even for students who had previously scored poorly. Kohl launched massive open online courses or MOOCs on an introduction to technology-enabled learning in partnership with Athabasca University here in Canada, and more than 5,000 teachers around the world were able to participate and update the pedagogical knowledge and skills. Second, Kohl promotes the development and use of open educational resources, or OER, especially for teacher training. In response to the challenges of teaching English in Africa, Kohl developed open educational resources for English-language teaching to provide high-quality multimedia materials. This has created a community of teachers in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda who use these resources as well as develop, adapt, and share their own materials. This has resulted in improved learner participation and engagement. Kohl also launched the Green Teacher Program in India and Nigeria to help teachers inculcate environmental concerns among children from the early stages. This content is again OER and can be adopted by teachers anywhere in the world. Third, Kohl worked with UNICEF to train teachers in child-friendly schools' methodologies in eight countries. In Nigeria, this project was integrated in the National Preservice Teacher Training Program, and research shows that this has resulted in improved teaching outcomes for the teacher trainees and better performance of students in maths. All these interventions have resulted in more qualified teachers and improved teaching practices. As the poet Yates once said, and I quote, �Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire�. I am sure all of us remember that teacher who inspired us to go beyond the confines of our reality and reach for the stars. Kohl salutes the hard work and dedication of teachers around the world and will continue to support them as they inspire citizens of the Commonwealth and indeed the global community to become lifelong learners. As we reflect on our progress and find ways to address remaining challenges, let us collaborate and work together to ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn from a qualified teacher who opens up the infinite possibilities and excitement of our wonderful world. Happy Teacher�s Day.